Lasting-jack.



J. S. NORTON & E. T. ADAMS.

LASTING JACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1914 Patented May 16, 1916.

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JOHN S.,I\TOR'1'0N .ANID ELIHU T. ADAMS, OF NEWBURYIPORT, MASSACHUSETTS; SAID NORTON ASSIGNOR TO SAID ADAMS.

LASTING-JACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 19116.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN S. Non'roN and ELIHU T. ADAMS, both citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Newburyport, county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Lasting-Jacks, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to lasting jacks as used in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and aims to provide .an improved lasting jack that shall be self-dumping, that is, antomatically relieve itself of the last when the operator has finished with it.

Heretofore it has been common to use a fixed or immovable last-supporting jack from which it is necessary to manually remove the last andthrow it into a receptacle therefor, after the shoe has been removed therefrom or the operator no longer requires the last, thus necessitating two special and distinct operations or movements of the hands, which not only require time but also strength, both of which are Valuable assets in factory employees.

We haveinvented a jack which will automatically dump its last at the desired time,

thus economizing in both the expenditure of time and labor.

Referring to the drawings of an illustrative embodiment of our invention as described herein, Figure 1 is a front elevation of our improved jack with a shoe last thereon; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the ack also showing the last thereon, and n dotted lines showing the last also in position to be dumped by the jack; and F g; 3, a front elevation showing the jack in the act of dumping the last, also showing, 1n dotted line position, the position the last normally occupies when at rest and preparatory to being dumped by the ack.

Our improved jack comprises, see Figs. 1, 2, a post 1 of suitable materlal as metal, with an arm 2 rearwardly extended therefrom and adapted to be conveniently .se

cured to a bench 3 as by screw bolts 4, 4. This post 1, is preferably of a height that will be convenient for the worlnnan and large enough in cross-section to permit it to be used as a support for the work during To this end we have shown it as rectangular in cross-section and have also provided it with a curved rear edge 5 to permit the upper of the shoe to fall conveniently over the rear edge of the post when the lastis positioned thereover.

The post 1 has a downwardly extended portion 6which not only acts to anchor it against any pressure or shock having a tendency to displace it laterallyfrom its position on the bench, but also acts as asupport for the lower end of the last-carrying member to be referred to presently. The post 1 carrles, rotatably mounted on its front face, a combined last-supporting and dumping member 7, which may be a substantially flat rectangular plate of suitable material as metal provided at itsupper end with a spindle 8 of suitable size, and bent slightly to the right, Fig. 1, and also preferably to the left, Fig. 2. This spindle is adapted to recelve thereon the last by means of the usual thimble therein. The plate 7 may be termed the weighted or positioning portion of the lastcarrying member and is preferably made of such proportion and weight that it Wlll normally assume a substantially upright position as shown in Fig. 1.

The last-supporting member 7 is pivoted eccentrically as by a pin 9, to the front face of the post 1, and this post is provided at one of its front edges with an outwardly eX- tended ear 10 which prevents the plate 7 from swinging to the right, Fig. 1, relative to the post 1, should it have any inclination to do so at any time. The lower or weighted portion of the member 7 is provided with an aperture 11 which will register with any one of several apertures 12, Figs. 1, 3, and whereby the member 7 may, with the aid of a pin 13 inserted in one of said apertures, be positioned either upright or at an angle for the convenience of the operator. The pin 13 may be conveniently secured to the post 1 by a chain.

In use the operator faces the front or spindle carrying face of the post 1, and places the shoe last with the shoe thereon upon the spindle as shown in Fig. 1. In the operation of lasting, hand nailing or relasting or any other operation that is to be performed on the shoe, the last may be swung around the spindle 8 as a pivot when it is locked by the pin 13 and take any position desired by the operator. If the spindle is not locked by the pin 13 the shoe and Sill its last may also be swung about the spindle 8 and worked on in any position Where the center of gravity of the last and shoe is to the left, Fig. 1, of the pivot 9. As soon as the center of gravity is moved to the right, Fig. 1, of the pivot 9, the member 7 being unlocked, it will of course swing about the pivot 9 and dump the last. When the work that is to be done on the shoe with the last therein is finished, the shoe is most conveniently withdrawn from the last when the last occupies the dotted line position, Fig. 2.

The spindle 8 is, as already stated, preferably inclined outwardly, or to the left, Fig. 2, slightly and also to the right, Fig. 1, so that the natural tendency of a last, when mounted thereon and at rest, is to turn from whatever position it may occupy to the dotted line position Fig. 3. When the last reaches this position, its center of gravity is positioned to the right, Fig. 1, of thepivot 9, and, after the pin 13 is withdrawn, the plate 7 will at once turn about its pivot, see Fig. 3, and permit the last to slide from the spindle 8 into a chute that may convey it to the sorting room, or it may fall into a suitable receptacle therefor.

Of course the jack may be made of such weight and dimensionsthat it will dump all sizes of lasts between two extremes, and a second or even a third member 7 may be constructed which will dump all other sizes of lasts, three sizes of the member 7 being ordinarily suflicient for use to dump all sizes of lasts in common use. Obviously by the use of this improved jack the, operator is saved the necessity of removing the last from the spindle each time he finishes work on that particular shoe and its last, and depositing it in the proper receptacle therefor, thus saving much time and strength.

It is the common practice inmost shoe factories to pass each separate last carrying its shoe from one operator to another for the performance by him of his particular work toward the completion of the shoe. The operator who completes the shoe so far as it is to be completed on the last, withdraws the shoe from the last and then by the common practice, removes the last manually from the jack and throws it into a receptacle therefor. This obviously requires two separate and distinct operations, each involving the expenditure of time and strength. By the use of this improved jack, the final operator, when he withdraws the Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

shoe from its last, simply extends one finger to catch the chain or cord attached to the pin 13, if the member 7 is locked to the post 1, and withdraws it by the same movement, thus unlocking the last carrying spindle, and permitting it to dump its last as illustrated in Fig. 3.

While we have herein described one satisfactory form of our invention it will doubtless be possible to vary the same in many details without sacrificing the spirit thereof and within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims:

1. A self-dumping lasting jack comprisw ing a post, a last-carrying member pivoted thereto in a plane at one side of the longitudinal vertical plane of the last-carrying member; and a spindle on the last-carrying member in a plane at the opposite side of the longitudinal central plane of said member.

2. A self-dumping lasting jack comprising a post, a last-carrying member pivoted thereto in a plane substantially parallel with the central vertical longitudinal plane of the post, and a spindle on the last-carrying member in a second plane substantially parallel with said central longitudinal plane.

3. A self-dumping lasting jack comprising a post, and a last-carrying member piv-- oted to one face thereof whereby the last carrying member will support the last when the latter is positioned in a substantially vertical plane lateral to the plane of the pivot and whereby the last-carrying member will automatically swing about the pivot when the last is positioned in a plane plane of the Intestimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscrlblng wltnesses.

JOHN s. NORTON. ELIHU ADAMS.

Witnesses:

EVERETT S. EMERY, ELIZABETH P. HILLIARD.

Washington, D. C. 

